Arizona Coyotes recall Vladislav Kolyachonok

The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

Kolyachonok’s recall comes off the heels of a report from PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, who wrote that defenseman Juuso Välimäki will be out “for a while” after taking a hard shot to the face.

Kolyachonok, 22, is a defenseman who the Coyotes are decently familiar with at the NHL level, as he played in 32 games for the NHL club in 2021-22 and in two games last season. So far this year Kolyachonok has played exclusively in Tucson, where he has scored two goals and three points in 11 games.

With Välimäki out, Kolyachonok could slot in directly where Välimäki plays in the lineup, on the team’s second pairing next to Matt Dumba.

Alternatively, veteran Troy Stecher could move up to the second pairing, which would put Kolyachonok or team seventh defenseman Michael Kesselring on the bottom pairing next to Joshua Brown.